Making Anaheim Even More Glamorous

Amazingly, there are those who think Anaheim isn't glamorous enough already. Unwilling to let the city only bask in the reflected glory of the largest concentration of sweaty, underpaid wannabee actors dressed like popular cartoon characters this side of any place named Six Flags, the city is ready to pursue even more glamor in a very Orange County way: by combining a franchising opportunity with a paving program.

This morning's L.A. Times has a report on Anaheim's attempt to acquire some non-Disney related glitz, the Anaheim/Orange County Walk of Stars. The stars won't actually be walking in Anaheim, of course, it'll just be their names stamped into shiny new sidewalk slabs-- assuming the star in question is willing to pony up $15,000 for the sort of immortality that small dogs can easily shit on. The fifteen grand may also be paid by a fervent admirer of the famous person, since some of these immortals/small dog attractions being considered for the honor are dead. Prime example: local boy made good, then gone horribly bad, R.M. Nixon. (His star, if he gets one, would no doubt give Walk-of-Fame scientists an opportunity to test out the latest in urine- and graffiti-resistant star coatings.)

This will not be just any old walk, this sidewalk replacement program will be overseen by the Motion Picture Hall of Fame Foundation, the same folks who are in charge of the Hollywood Walk of Fame– an attraction considered exciting and glamorous by those who have never seen it in person.

Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle is excited about the coming walk, telling the Times: "Orange County has had a very long history, and oftentimes it was seen as just a suburb of Los Angeles. Today, it's a lot different, and Orange County's identity is something we're very proud of." That's right, Orange County is going to assert its own unique identity by setting up a minor-league version of something Los Angeles already has. Very clever, no?